Thursday, September 27, 2012

Little Blurb about yourself:
My name is Emma Meade. I live in Cork, Ireland and I read, write, watch and breathe paranormal fiction.

1. Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve always been an avid reader. My grandparents would read to me out of a big, old book of fairytales when I was a child. Then I consumed Enid Blyton as a preteen, followed by the Point Horror series, Sweet Valley Twins, Virginia Andrews and Anne Rice. Reading allowed me to live in so many different worlds that I had to go and create my own.

2. How long did it take you to write Under the Desert Moon?
Under the Desert Moon took a few months to finish the first draft and then years to fully edit and publish. It’s been a long road, but definitely worth it.

3. While writing how many times do you go back and rewrite a plot?
Over and over again until I want to rip my hair out.

4. You run into a bookstore, where do you go first?
The teenage section, now the Twilight section! And the horror/paranormal shelves which contain authors like Charlaine Harris, Anne Rice and Stephen King.

5. How many books in a month do you tend to read?
Maybe 5 or 6.

6. In all the books you've read. Who is your most favorite character and why?
Very hard to choose. Nick from Stephen King’s The Stand is always someone I enjoy spending time with. He’s brave, decent, intelligent and kind. He faces a huge challenge physically every day, yet never thinks of giving up.

7. State 5 random facts about yourself.
I like dunking biscuits in Barry’s tea (an Irish brand).
I’ve been to Amsterdam twice.
I have three sisters and no brothers.
Visiting New Orleans is on my bucket list.
I like going to psychics/fortune tellers.

8. Your favorite Genre?
Paranormal.

9. What are you currently reading?
Just finished reading The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes. I couldn’t put it down. Charming, funny, heart-wrenching.

10. What is the best book you've read?
Can’t choose just one, but The Stand by Stephen King would be near the top of the list.

11. Any new projects coming up?
I’m working on Night Whispers, another vampire novel set in London, but for an older audience.

Here’s your chance to market your book. Describe it. And why readers should pick it up?
Under the Desert Moon is a teenage coming-of-age story that features my very own bad boy, vampire, James Linkin. James swaggers into Copperfield, Arizona with the rest of the cast and crew for the movie they’re shooting, Kiss of the Vampire. Small town girl, Erin Harris is one of the few left unimpressed by his arrogance. James is going to have to work a little harder than usual if he wants to win Erin over. Read it for pure escapism.

17 year old Erin Harris spends her time daydreaming, hoping to escape her small town life in Copperfield, Arizona. When a movie crew arrives unexpectedly to shoot a vampire film over the summer, Erin’s small town world changes forever.

Erin is positive she has seen the star, James Linkin before in a thirty year old TV show. He hasn’t aged a day. How is this possible? Erin is determined to find out, but how will James handle the scrutiny of an all too intelligent teenage girl?

Author Bio:

Emma Meade lives in rainy Ireland. She loves vampires, slayers, witches, ghosts, aliens & shadow men (or at least the youngest of the Shadow Men), and regular people who live extraordinary lives (think Slayerettes and you’re on the right track).

Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home, and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.

Writing supernatural short stories and watching marathon re-runs of Buffy are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Books I completed in the last week are:*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

My Glasses by Jessica Arnold
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (audio)

Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):

My Lucky Life In And Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke (audio)
Devil’s Food Cake Murder by Joanna Fluke (Audio)
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords (audio)
Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark
Fireside (The Lakeshore Chronicles) by Susan Wiggs (Audio)
Adorable Animals by Jackie Jeffrey (ebook)
Achoo & The Fireglobe by David Jacks (ebook)
Musical Instruments: Discover Series Picture Book for Children by Xist Publishing (ebook)
Ocean Animals: Discover Series Picture Book for Children by Xist Publishing (ebook)
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (audio)
Cars: Discover Series Picture Book for Children by Xist Publishing (ebook)
Birds: Discover Series Picture Book for Children by Xist Publishing (ebook)
Musical Instruments: Discover Series Picture Book for Children by Xist Publishing (ebook)
Dogs: Discover Series Picture Book for Children by Xist Publishing (ebook)
The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts
A Summer Affair by Elin Hildebrand (audio)
Jaguars! (Kids Look and Learn) by Becky Wolff (ebook)
Wolves! (Kids Look and Learn) by Becky Wolff (ebook)
France: Picture Book by Planet Collection (ebook)
Chipmunks: Picture Book by Planet Collection (ebook)
Ghana: Picture Book by Planet Collection (ebook)
Bangladesh: Picture Book by Planet Collection (ebook)
Tigers: Picture Book by Planet Collection (ebook)
Albatross! (Kids Look and Learn) by Becky Wolff (ebook)
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Excerpt from end of Chapter 1
Later that evening, Lily stood on the playground and squeezed the sand between her toes as a warm, moist breeze swirled strands of hair around her face. The village shops by the pier had been teeming with tourists all afternoon, but most of them had closed down hours ago. The sounds of traffic and screaming kids had faded into a gentle lapping of the ocean against the nearby rocks.
Her feet ached from walking around for the past several hours, and her head was beginning to throb as well. To make matters worse, her dad had insisted that she keep an eye on Kara and her cousin Rachel, which meant an evening full of aimlessly wandering through tourist shops and listening to shallow comparisons of one guy after another. At this point, she wanted nothing more than to go back to the beach house, put her feet up, and relax with a good book.
A few yards away, Kara and Rachel competed to see who could swing the highest. As much as they insisted on being treated like adults, it was amazing how childish they could be. She rolled her eyes and sighed, glancing down at her watch. Nearly time to go.
“Y’all about ready?” she called.
Rachel jumped out of her swing first, followed by Kara who narrowly missed landing on her rear. Rachel doubled over with laughter, and Lily couldn’t help but laugh too. Kara flushed bright red as she glanced around to see if anyone else had seen her stumble.
“Nice,” Lily said.
Kara ignored her and straightened her clothes. Rachel slid her feet into her sandals and tugged her shorts back into place, though they still left little to the imagination. She smoothed her dark hair and picked her purse up off the ground. Then suddenly she squealed like a mouse and waved Kara toward her.
“Look, those cops over there are cute!”
Lily followed her gaze to the massive live oaks that provided a canopy over a picnic area of the park. It was empty now except for two officers talking quietly at a picnic table in the lamp light, their bikes resting in a rack nearby. From several yards away they appeared similar—broad shoulders, dark hair, well-built. Nothing spectacular.
“You’re hopeless,” Lily said. “They’re way too old for you to even think about.”
Rachel shrugged. “So? Cute is just cute. Age doesn’t factor.”
Lily looked at them again. Maybe Rachel was right, but she wasn’t interested in another lame discussion about guys like they were a tasty dessert item.
“They’re all right, I guess. Not really my type.”
Kara snorted. “Oh please. I think you have to date more than one person to have a type.”
Rachel laughed and looked away from Lily’s glare.
“Well, you are the expert,” Lily said. “How many boyfriends have you had?”
Kara took a few steps closer and jutted her chin at Lily. “I know a lot more than you think. I know that hanging out with one guy since you were nine years old doesn’t make you an expert. You wouldn’t even know what to do if a great guy was interested in you.”
“Sure I would. I’d say thanks but no thanks.”
“Oh my word, Lil. Seriously. There’s something wrong with you.”
“I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t want to date right now.”
Rachel’s mouth fell open. “Really?”
“Look, I just want to enjoy my vacation. You know, relax a little, read a good book, take a walk on the beach. I don’t need drama.”
Kara shook her head. “I’m not talking about a serious relationship here. Look around. There are cute guys everywhere. Loosen up and have some fun.”
“I don’t need a guy around to have fun.”
Kara winked at Rachel. “Well, if you’re going to be hanging around us, you better get used to cute guys being around. In fact, I think we should start right now.” She nodded toward the tree where the cops were still seated. Rachel’s face lit up.
“Oh no,” Lily said. “We’re going back to the house. It’s nearly midnight.”
But they sped away before she could stop them, so she threw her hands in the air and followed. This was going to be humiliating. As she approached the officers, the girls sang hello in unison. She could just imagine what these two gentlemen must be thinking. Leaning back on their elbows in identical poses, both of the officers grinned at the girls.
Then she caught a glance from the one on the left, and his eyes traveled down her legs. A sliver of a smirk played at the corner of his lips. Maybe gentleman wasn’t the right word. Kara rattled off introductions, oblivious to the amusement on their faces.
“I’m Kara. This is my sister, Lily, and our cousin, Rachel.”
Lily offered a polite nod. There had to be a way to exit gracefully, but she couldn’t think of one. Kara and Rachel dropped onto the bench of a picnic table opposite the officers, looking entirely too eager. They were practically panting.
“I’m Steve,” the one on the right said. “It’s nice to meet you, ladies.” His smile lit up his whole face, and his eyes had a warm puppy-like expression. Lily relaxed a little. At least one of them was friendly anyway.
“You can just call him Poindexter.” The other officer’s eyes sparked with mischief, and Steve slapped him across the chest.
“I know you don’t want me to tell them what they can call you, Rambo.”
“Rambo?” Rachel asked, tilting her head.
He waved his hand to dismiss the question. “Forget it. It’s not that funny anyway.”
On closer inspection, the nickname seemed fitting given his dark waves and bulging muscles. He probably did think he was some sort of action hero. She could practically see him admiring his biceps in a mirror.
“So what is your name, Rambo?” Lily asked.
Their eyes met, and his lips tipped into a smirk.
“Walker. Alex Walker.”
Yep, definitely an action hero.
“So what are you supposed to be?” she asked. “Double-oh-six-and-a-half?” The retort slipped out before Lily could catch it.
Steve snickered and looked away from Alex’s murderous glance.
“Well, you can just call me Daddy.” He cocked an eyebrow at her, an obvious challenge, but his grin never changed.
Lily held his gaze, irritated by the way her stomach flipped. Must have been something she’d eaten.
Rachel finally broke the awkward silence. “So, um, is it usually this quiet around here?”
Steve shook his head. “Nah, it’ll pick up tomorrow, trust me. This place’ll be crawling with people and screaming kids.”
“And plenty of little boys for you girls to play with, I’m sure,” Alex added.
Rachel’s chest sprang out as she huffed. “We are not little girls, and we are not interested in little boys.”
“How old do you think we are anyway?” Kara asked.
Lily couldn’t wait for this response. Alex had wandered into dangerous waters, but he seemed oblivious. He put his fingers to his chin and assessed them.
“Hmm, let me see.”
Steve waved off the challenge. “I can’t ever tell.” He sent a knowing grin at Lily, and she couldn’t help but smile back. At least he had some sense.
“Well,” Alex said, looking first at Kara, then at Rachel. “With all the make-up, you look about twenty-one. So I’d have to say you two are about thirteen, maybe fourteen.”
Kara’s mouth dropped open and Rachel gasped. Lily could barely control her laughter.
“What?” Rachel exclaimed. “I am fifteen, almost sixteen!”
“And I am already sixteen!” Kara folded her arms across her chest.
“Whoa! Don’t get your panties in a wad.” Alex threw up his hands in surrender. “I was just giving you a hard time.”
As the girls continued to sulk, he winked at Lily. Something about him sent a shiver down her arms.
“And how about you?” he asked.
She hesitated. She shouldn’t let him bait her into comments she might regret. Arrogant or not, he was an officer of the law, a position she had always been taught to respect.
Rachel finally spoke for her. “She actually is twenty-one.”
Kara lifted a brow, a puzzled look that seemed to ask if she was okay. Lily decided to ignore it and Alex as well.
She turned and looked out over the ocean, wishing she could enjoy it alone. The ocean and sky had melted into one large black expanse, but she could hear the waves tumble into the rocks not far away.
“So, how long have you been police officers?” Kara asked.
“Seven years for me,” Steve answered.
“You’re kidding. You don’t seem that old.”
Steve laughed. “I went into the police academy right out of high school. Been doing this since I was eighteen.”
Lily glanced at Kara and caught the slight nod toward Steve. She knew she was being rude, but what did Kara expect? Flirting with a stranger wasn’t going to fill the hole in her chest. Still, she supposed she should at least be polite.
“That’s pretty young to become a cop,” Lily said. “You didn’t think about going to college?”
“Nah.” He grinned like the thought was absurd. “I never wanted to do anything but be a cop. Dad’s a cop. Mom’s a cop. Just seemed natural.”
He smiled at her again, and the warmth of it reached out to her. It wasn’t much, but it made her smile. Maybe getting to know Steve wasn’t the worst idea in the world.
***
Alex caught the flush in Lily’s cheeks as she smiled at Steve, and he took a quick glance at his partner. Steve was the nicest guy he’d ever met. Too nice. And he wasn’t about to let some snobby chick get the wrong idea about him. Besides, no matter how nice he was, even Steve could be tempted by a hot girl, and he had to admit this one was a looker. Her legs had caught his attention first—long, athletic—but it was her eyes that he kept coming back to. They were cool and aloof, wandering over everything in the park, except him. He could tell from the moment she walked over that she’d rather be anywhere else. Until now.
He’d have to nip the flirting before she mistook Steve’s goofy grin for something more than friendly conversation.
“So that makes you about, what, twenty-five?” Lily asked.
“Yep, I’m getting old.” Steve’s chest shook with his chuckle.
“Thankfully you finally found a good woman to take care of you in your waning years.” Alex darted his eyes over to Lily as he spoke, satisfied with the subtle fall of her smile.
Steve’s face lit up with his crooked grin, unaware of the hope he’d just crushed.
“Yeah, I got a good one alright.”
“How long is it to the wedding?” Alex threw that one in for good measure.
Steve looked up at the stars as if he expected the answer to be spelled out as a connect-the-dots puzzle.
“I guess about six weeks or so.” He looked back down at the girls and grinned. “I don’t have much to do with the planning. I’m just supposed to show up on time.”
The younger two dove into questions about the wedding, though Steve never seemed to give good enough answers. Lily hung back, of course, her eyes drifting down the beach. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight back and forth like she couldn’t wait to get out of there. The lights of the ice cream parlor across the parking lot went dark, and she looked down at her watch with visible relief.
“We should probably get going.”
The blond glanced at her watch as well. “We still have a little time left. What’s the big hurry?”
“You two are supposed to be back by midnight.” Lily pointed a look directly at the brunette with all the make-up. “Your parents would kill me if I let you stay out late, and you know it.”
“A few minutes isn’t going to hurt anything,” she whined.
He watched Lily squirm. She looked like a kid in desperate need of a bathroom break. Too damn good to hang out with public servants probably.
“Yeah, Lily,” he said. “What’s the hurry? Don’t you like us?”
“Uh, well…” she stammered. “It’s not that. I just don’t want them to get in trouble.”
“Let me guess,” he said. “You do everything you’re told and you’ve never disappointed anyone.” She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. “You’ve never missed a single curfew in your life, have you?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Well, that must be an exciting life.”
She swung her weight to the other hip and shot bullets of contempt from her eyes.
“Just because I take my responsibilities seriously doesn’t mean I can’t have a good time.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re the life of the party.”
Little Miss Perfect was making this way too easy. She turned and jerked her head at the other two.
“Let’s go.”
They stood up and flashed adorable smiles. Then they sang their goodbye as bubbly as they had their hello. The brunette flipped her hair and winked, and he stifled a laugh. That girl was going to be trouble in another year or two.
Lily, on the other hand, was already trouble. He could feel it. Something about her still lingered after she’d disappeared, like the aftertaste of an expensive wine. It reminded him of why he hated the stuff.

YA Edgy Christian Romance
Date Published: May 24, 2012Synopsis:

Collegiate athlete Lily Brennon has always been the piece that doesn’t quite fit in the puzzle, especially in her fragmented family, and no amount of rule-following perfection seems to bring her any closer to the love and acceptance she desperately seeks. If not for Jackson Carter, her childhood best friend and the only boy she’s ever loved, she’s sure she would have run away years ago. But when Jackson loses his father and a future basketball career within months of each other, his faith is so shattered, he shuts out everyone, including Lily.

After months of heartache, Lily begins to piece together a life without Jackson, and while vacationing on a beautiful island off the Georgia coast, she begins a long-distance romance with Alex Walker, a police officer with a quick wit and a cocky grin. He revives her hope in love again, but their intense attraction and his devastating secret test Lily’s values, stretching them until they break. Through her struggles to remain true to her principles, an agonizing choice between Alex and Jackson, and a series of terrifying events that threaten all of them, Lily must endure losing everything she’s been grasping so tightly. Only then will she discover the depth of the love that already surrounds her.

Author Bio:

I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and Holly Pond, Alabama, two very different towns that I love for so many reasons. Holly Pond is my soul, the place where I go to remind myself of who I am and where I come from. It's a quiet place that allows me to reset when I've fallen off track.

Birmingham is my heart, the place where I lived out my story. I go there to remember my best friend, my first love, my first job, my first heartbreak.
And then there is Saint Simons Island, the place I go to feel alive, to feel the breeze off the ocean, the salt on my tongue, the excitement of my first (and only) summer fling.

I may reside in the suburbs of Atlanta, creating memories with my sweet boys, but I call several places home.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we've received for review, swapped, or purchased that week.

I haven’t won anything lately, but I do keep entering, so we will see maybe my luck will change soon. Hope all of you have been lucky enough to win.

For Review:
Up A Tree With Chicken Soup by Clayton J Liotta
When Verdell Comes to Visit by Clayton J Liotta
The House At 25 Clearview Drive by Clayton J Liotta

What I Bought:
Did't buy anything this week, but plan a trip to the bookstore next week

Amazon Freebies
License to Thrill by Stephanie Bond (have always heard great things about her books –thought this would be a good way to check it out)
The Wedding Wager by Regina Duke
Match Me by Liz Appel
The Last Honest Seamstress by Gina Robinson
Organize or Die by Laura McClure
Dancing with Death (A Betty Crawford Mystery) by Liz Marvin
Any Port in a Storm (Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series) by Elaine Orr

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Seth crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you mad at me about something?”

Alana studied his face for a moment before she said, “I suppose I am.”

“What?”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Obviously.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “You died then you haunted me.” She nodded toward the house. “Then you brought all this with you.”

“Ah.” She still maintained that feistiness he enjoyed. Seth grinned. “Yeah, sorry about all that.”

Alana frowned. “You’re not sorry in the least.”

“Nope.”

“Then why say that you are?”

“I don’t know. To see you get fired up?”

She inhaled deeply through her nostrils. “I would’ve thought that death would’ve had more of an effect on you, Seth.” Alana pushed away from the rock and walked toward the house.

“What do you mean by that?” He walked after her. “And wouldn’t you rather death didn’t change me?”

Alana stopped so quickly that he nearly walked into her. Face red with anger she pointed a finger at his chest and said, “You needed some adjustments!”

Something about the fire in her eyes and the liquid heat of her tone set off his anger as well. Hell yeah, he needed some adjustments and knew right where to start. Before she knew what hit her, Seth pulled her into his arms.

Is it true love... or is this dark need part of the Tudor's Revival?
A man stuck between worlds.

Ghost hunter and dare-devil, Seth, is flung into the afterlife. His one draw to reality? Alana. He died. She lived. But he can't let go. There is something more than friendship between them and he won't say goodbye.

A woman drawn to the past.

The last thing Alana expects to encounter when she inherits her grandmom's Tudor Revival is the spirit of her deceased best friend and crush, Seth. But everything is not what it appears to be. He is determined to live again. When his investigative team, The Worldwide Paranormal Society shows up at her door, Alana soon learns that she's in for a wild ride.

Calum's curse visits one more house. Things get hotter and more paranormal than ever before. Love, as always, struggles to overcome the odds. Time is limited though and the creature set to destroy Seth and Alana is the most cunning of all.
Will Alana and Seth face humankind's worst fear and survive? Find out in The Tudor Revival.

Author Bio

Best-selling author, Sky Purington lives in southern New Hampshire with her son and husband. The written word has been her obsession from the very beginning. Purington writes time-travel paranormal/fantasy romance heavily influenced by history.

From Irish Druids to Scottish Highlanders many of her novels possess strong Celtic elements. More recently, her vampire stories take the reader to medieval England and ancient Italy.

Enjoy strictly paranormal romance? Sky's latest novels follow three haunted houses in New England and the sexy ghost hunters determined to make sense of them. Make no mistake, in each and every tale told you'll travel back to another time and revisit the romanticism history holds at its heart.

Sky loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com Interested in keeping up with Sky's latest news and releases? Visit Sky's Website, www.skypurington.com to download her FREE App on iTunes and Android.

Kindle: Samantha returns to school as a sixth grader and discovers that there is something unusual going on with her vision. Sentences look blurry causing her to have trouble reading. Her mother makes her an appointment with the eye doctor and she soon learns about what it's like to have glasses for the first time.

This is the fifth book written by 13-year-old Jessica Arnold, who became an author at seven years old with her positive story, "I am good at Lots of Things." Later, she followed up with "Nobody Can Take My Happy Away." Jessica's lively illustrations and vivid imagination make the "My Glasses" come to life.

Mine: Wow can I relate to this book. I had to get glasses in 6th grade also (like you aren’t awkward enough at that age).

Four eyes wasn’t the worst I got – chicken pox the same year so I was called raspberry fact too.

I like that it’s written by a “child”. I like that there is a “bully”, but Samantha does find another friend that is probably better than the one that teased her.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

1) Tell us about your book.
Rosie Stanton climbed on a west-bound train to answer his ad for a wife and mother, everything she wants to be. But Tom Harris lied. He doesn't want a wife, merely a mother for his two abandoned children and a cook and cleaner for his ranch. Betrayed once, he's vowed never to let another woman into his heart. Sexy Rosie upsets all his plans and threatens to invade his scarred heart. How will he maintain his vow to keep his hands off her as she charms his children, his cow hands, his life?

2) Tell us a bit about your heroine.
Rosie Stanton is determined to have a family. She answered and ad for a mil order bride to get away from her sister-in-law but also because she hasn’t had any luck in her twenty-six years securing a husband despite having a substantial dowry of $5000. Rosie isn’t a willow like her friends. She is a substantial woman, curvy and strong.

3) Tell us a bit about your hero.
Tom Harris is a widower with two children. His wife left him for another man and then was killed in a carriage accident. Even 2 years later he is still bitter. He has no use for a woman much less a wife. He only wants someone to cook, clean and care for his children.

4) What themes underlie the plot of this book?
I don’t generally look at the themes in my books. I guess in this case and will all my books, it’s “Love conquers all”

5) Is anything in particular you enjoyed in this book vs. the first two in the series? Was it easier or harder to write this one?
This has been the hardest to write. I think because I didn’t know my characters well enough when started the story.

7) Any overlap with the characters/location/plot from the first two books?
The locale of the books is the same in all three books. The hero and heroine from the first book, TAME A WILD HEART, make an appearance in this book and in the second one, too. Though in different years. TAME A WILD HEART is set in 1885, TAME A WILD WIND is set in 1895 and TAME A WILD BRIDE is set in 1890.

8) What led you to write western romances, and has anywhere you’ve lived had an influence on what you write?
I think I like western romance because my dad was a cowboy when he met my mother. He was also a trapper and many other occupations through the years. But cowboy is what stuck with me.

9) Do you have a favorite character you’ve written and why?
My favorite character has to be Audra, from my first scifi romandce CENTAURI DAWN. She’s a princess from another planet raised on Earth to save her life. What girl hasn’t dreamed of being a princess at one time or another.

10) Is there anything you do to keep you motivated to write?
My critique partners and I get together on Thursday’s for and all day writing session called Just Wright. We talk and catch up for the first half hour then it down to business until lunch then writing again. The energy I receive that day is amazing.

11) What do you have in store next for your readers?
I have some more scifi romances coming out next and maybe a pirate story or two. I never know what I’m going to write until I sit down and start.

Tame a Wild Bride Excerpt

Rosemary Stanton stood on the train platform sweating and waiting. Sweating because it was an especially hot day in late June. Waiting for her husband. A husband she wouldn’t recognize if he were standing right next to her.

She’d been desperate when she answered the advertisement for a mail order bride. Wanted: Single woman to cook, clean, and care for children on a cattle ranch in southwestern Colorado. Will marry upon arrival.

Well, she was twenty-six with no prospects. Her brother just got married and his new wife, Beatrice, didn’t want Rosie around. She could answer this advertisement or become a governess. Help someone else’s children grow up into adults. Live in someone else’s house. For the rest of her life, she’d have nothing she could call her own.

Rosie wanted a home. She wanted a husband and children. All the things she’d never have if she stayed in Philadelphia. When she’d seen the ad in the morning paper, she’d nearly shouted with glee. However, she managed to restrain herself until she got to her room before she yelled with joy. The advertisement was tailor-made for her needs. It got her away from Beatrice and got her her own home all in one fell swoop.

Her brother, Robert, though was not happy with the idea of his baby sister traveling across the country to marry a stranger. He grudgingly agreed to give her her dowry to take with her. Five thousand dollars. She’d take the draft to the bank as soon as she arrived in Creede, Colorado, and married Mr. Thomas Harris. Cattle rancher. It was her “in case it doesn’t work out” money. Though she supposed it would belong to her husband once she married. Perhaps she just wouldn’t tell him about it. Her conscience spoke up. That’s no way to start a marriage. With lies and secrets. Oh, all right. She’d tell him and have him take her to the bank. But not until after she’d taken his measure. If he was a cruel man, she would leave and she sure as heck wouldn’t tell him about her money.

Even with the dowry, there’d been few prospects for Rosie back in Philadelphia. She wasn’t pretty in the conventional sense. She thought her face with its big brown eyes and full lips was pleasing enough, but men apparently hadn’t. Her one beau had said her eyes were the color of warm brandy. That was before he left her to marry another more suitable woman. More suitable, hah! Richer was more like it.

Paul had expensive tastes and married a rabbit-faced girl, heir to a substantial fortune to which he’d have access. Well, good luck and good riddance.

Rosie did have one feature she’d been told was extraordinary. Her hair. It was waist length, wavy and a clear, golden blonde. Right now, standing on the train platform in Creede it was bound up in a loose bun on top of her head under her hat. It, like the rest of her, was covered in dust and soot from the train. She’d discovered on the second day that she could minimize the grime by sitting in the front of the car with the window closed. But sooner or later the heat and mugginess of the car would force her to open the window. The air came rushing in, cooling her, but bringing with it the dirt and ash from the train’s boilers.

On the long trip, she’d told herself again and again she’d made the right decision. This was her future.

Tame A Wild Bride Synopsis
Rosie Stanton climbed on a west-bound train to answer his ad for a wife and mother, everything she wants to be. But Tom Harris lied. He doesn’t want a wife, merely a mother for his two abandoned children and a cook and cleaner for his ranch.

Betrayed once, he’s vowed never to let another woman into his heart. Sexy Rosie upsets all his plans and threatens to invade his scarred heart. How will he maintain his vow to keep his hands off her as she charms his children, his cow hands, his life?

Cynthia Woolf was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.

She worked her way through college and went to work full time straight after graduation and there was little time to write. Then in 1990 she and two friends started a round robin writing a story about pirates. She found that she missed the writing and kept on with other stories. In 1992 she joined Colorado Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America.

Unfortunately, the loss of her job demanded the she not renew her memberships and her writing stagnated for many years. In 2001, she saw an ad in the paper for a writers conference being put on by CRW and decided she'd attend. One of her favorite authors, Catherine Coulter, was the keynote speaker. Cynthia was lucky enough to have a seat at Ms. Coulter's table at the luncheon and after talking with her, decided she needed to get back to her writing. She rejoined both CRW and RWA that day and hasn't looked back.

Sad to say, through personal disasters. The idea for my first series, the Bloodsong Series, came to me in a mystical experience as I was recovering from a personal tragedy. An entire book was injected into my brain very dramatically after a meditation retreat. It was a very large and unexpected experience. My first novel, Numenon: A Tale of Mysticism & Money, came from that experience. The book is about a great Native American shaman meeting the richest man in the world. I’ve got drafts of a half-dozen sequels on my hard drive.

The Angel & the Brown-eyed Boy came to me in a similar fashion. I was happily, but not very productively working on Mogollon, the first sequel to Numenon, when my brother died tragically. He was my adored little brother and only sibling. Outwardly, I looked calm and collected, but inside I was screaming with grief.

About three months after my brother died, I had a dream in which a shimmering golden light floated above me as I slept. That light was totally conscious, totally alive and good in every way. It radiated peace and good will. As I slept, I felt it lower itself upon me. And then it became me, merging with me fully. I got to feel the inner state on an angel. (Did I tell you I like meditation and spiritual practice and have big spiritual experiences? I do. Always have.)

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

All of my writing carries a message, and The Angel is more loaded than anything else I’ve written. I write about aliens and space travel and a lot of pretty far-out and silly stuff, but I am a writer talking about serious stuff. What’s more serious than the end of the world?

I hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in economics and was a doctoral student in Economics, Public Policy and Business at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford. A few years back, I earned my living as an economist. As Economic Analyst of Santa Clara County (the southern end of Silicon Valley in CA), I predicted employment by industry and location in Santa Clara County. I did analysis for the County Executive’s office. I was also the economist in a joint project with the RAND Corporation. And I was the economist for a few other projects. You get the picture.

With that background, not caring about our current economic situation is impossible. The condition of the world economy is REALLY BAD, if you haven’t heard. While I was grieving for my brother, the economist in me was tearing her hair and trying not to scream about what was going on in her area of expertise. A torrent of thoughts and feelings inside me was all balled up and needed to be expressed.

The world of The Angel, the book’s setting, came directly from history, current events and my experience as an economist. The Angel takes place in very nasty police state that isn’t so implausible.

Not everyone’s a history buff, but here’s a short history of the Western world post-WWI.

Germany lost WWI. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in Louis the XIV to XVI’s getaway cottage, The Palace of Versailles, was a nasty bugger that demanded reparations from Germany. The world wanted Germany to pay for the cost of the war. Sounds fair, maybe, except that Germany was already flattened economically. They couldn’t pay the reparations. Trying to do so would make people starve. The Allied blockaded Germany for a year; resulting an estimated 250,000 people dying of starvation. European society was in turmoil; four empires had dissolved during the war years. Zippo political stability existed. Read this article to see how bad it was.

The negotiated treaty ending the war, with reparations against Germany and all the rest, but set up the Great Depression. Many factors were involved, but the worldwide economic collapse of the 1930s and the desperation it created in Germany allowed Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party to ascend to power. They were very close to world domination when their movement fell apart and WWII ended. A few battles going the other way and we could all be goose-stepping

What does this have to do with my book? It could happen again. The dreadful police state in which the book is set is a possibility if we do not work together, like grown-ups, and solve the economic problems before us.

As an economist, I think that we could slide into another Great Depression in the next four years if we don’t get our economic and cultural houses in order. People need to learn economics so they’ll know when a politician is feeding them a line of bull. They need to learn it fast, because we are in a critical time.

In the 1930’s, we had the Great Depression, which allowed the rise of Hitler. In The Angel & the Brown-eyed Boy, the Recession we’re in now doesn’t go away. It gets worse and becomes a Depression, which so demoralizes everyone that a strong man like the fictitious Yuri Sokolov is able to name himself Tsar of all the Russias. In The Angel, Tsar Yuri pulls together the Russian Empire and take over the world, establishing a police state.

The Angel is set a long time after Tsar Yuri’s take-over, when things have gone from bad to worse. The United States is a third-rate power under Russian control.

What about what goes on in The Angel’s police state? The torture and disappearances and electronic surveillance? Stuff like that is happening now all over the world. People disappear off the streets in all sorts of places around the globe. Read the news. Torture is rampant in dictatorships now. The USA is not free of such activities. Our CIA in its covert ops does stuff that could come from The Angel. Ever want a peek in Guantanamo? I don’t. Electronic sleuthing is so prevalent that it’s hardly a source of news for more than ten minutes. Witness what Rupert Murdoch’s news empire has done with phone hacking. Feel safe?

The scale of the abuse in The Angel is much larger than what is going on in our world in 2012.

Do I think what happens in The Angel could literally come to be? No. It’s exaggerated. But something similar could happen if we don’t get back to peace and prosperity worldwide.

* * *
Another element exists in the message of The Angel. It’s set on the last day and night of the world. Everything is going to blow up tomorrow morning. What would you do if you faced that?

A lot of people would get loaded and party all night. Live it up. Some would search frantically for a way out. Others might feel the unresolved conflicts in their lives so powerfully that they force them to confront what they’ve been running from.

Jeremy Edgarton, sixteen-year-old hero of The Angel, is the latter type of person. Or rather, his feelings reach such a high pitch that he must confront what his parents have done to him and resolve his inner torment. He had the worst parents in the world. He’s the rich kid that everyone envied, but when you find out what has happened to him, I don’t think any of us would want such a life.

When better to make your peace with your life and the people in it than the night before Armageddon?

I wrote The Angel and all my other books from my passionate desire to see people happy and free of pain and what stems from it. I wrote my books in the hope that they should stimulate readers to take the good road, the moral road. The road of love.

I have an MA in Marriage, Child, and Family counseling in addition to my credentials in economics. Both sides of my brain have been to school!

My interest in counseling stems from my own pain and the pain I’ve seen in others. I’m committed to doing my best to “clean up the mess.” Lots of people have the same commitment, and they express it in many ways.

The Angel is my way of saying, “Stop. Look around. Does it have to be this way? How can we/I make things better.”

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?

Sitting in front of a computer. I have a bad back and sitting for a long time is pretty much the worst thing I can do to it. Another hard thing is finding time to write. Marketing and other activities related to being an author take a long time. They steal my writing time. Sometimes this is painful. Ideas may be there, images, scenes, and I’ve got to ignore them and do something else.

Once I get my creative juices going and carve out some time to write, writing is the easiest thing. It flows; I flow. It’s bliss. When the basic piece is written, then comes editing. Which I like, actually, though it’s a lot of work.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

I’m booked up for the rest of my life. I have another series, the Bloodsong Series that I began writing a few years ago. The first book of that series, Numenon: A Tale of Mysticism and Money, came out in 2008. Numenon is the story of a great Native American shaman meeting the richest man in the world. “Bill Gates meets Don Juan.” It was wildly popular when it came out, hitting #1 in three categories of Mysticism and floating around the 1,000th level in Kindle sales. I did nothing to support its success, assuming it would go on forever. Alas, it didn’t. And I didn’t take screen shots of those wonderful ratings . . .

I have readers emailing me all the time saying, “Where’s the sequel?” I say in Numenon that the sequel was already written in draft form. Which means written on the back of an electronic napkin on my hard drive. While attempting to shape up the sequel, I was beset by every demon a writer can face. Writer’s block, you name it. (Numenon’s sequel is Mogollon: A Tale of Mysticism and Mayhem. The Mogollon were an extinct Native people in New Mexico and Arizona.)

One of the things that derailed the sequel to Numenon is Tales from Earth’s End. The three books of the Tales burst out of me. I couldn’t work on anything else while I was writing them.

But they’re written and now I can work on Mogollon. I’m happy to report I’ve overcome writer’s block and writer’s insanity and am just writing. The book is going great. I’m totally into it again.

And I’m so glad that I didn’t jam what I had together earlier and put it out to satisfy my dear readers, who were begging for it. I’m a way better writer now. The book is quicker, meaner, leaner, and lovelier. Finishing it and getting it through editing and production will be a while. I anticipate a 2013 publication date.

So I’ve got Mogollon cookin’. I’m also writing its sequel. What happens to the gang after they come back from the retreat in New Mexico. Ideas are popping for it. (Tentative title: Forsaken: A Tale of Mysticism, Loss & Love.) I say in the Author’s Note of Numenon that I have five or six sequels to Numo on my hard drive. I do, written on electronic napkins and tissue paper and so on. It’s the same thing as with Mogollon, what’s coming out of me now is WAY BETTER! I can hardly wait to show it to you.

And––maybe, just maybe, the two series will come together. Hmmm.

If you like Tales from Earth’s End and want to read more of my stuff, it’s available. Tecolote: The Little Horse That Could is a kids’ book about a premature baby horse. It’s very sweet. Short. It’s for kids. The print version is better for kids to read. Stepping Off the Edge is my first book. It’s sort of a very intense ramble through my life and spirituality a few years back. It contains everything that anyone, academically or otherwise, has told me that worked. Meaning: made my life better. Solved problems. This is me telling you what kept me going. It’s not a how-to meditate, pray, or do any other spiritual practice. You won’t find step-by-step instruction in it. It’s a memoir with teeth.

There’s the whole Tales Series of three books to read.

And, there’s my first novel, Numenon. I love Numenon. It’s about spirituality, shamanism, why we’re here on earth, how we grow, and can Will Duane, the anti-hero, be anything but a jerk? It’s also dark, bloody, violent, gross, and sexy, by turns. Not your grandmother’s spiritual guide. Be aware of that. I’m not one who thinks spirituality is about floating around on a cloud where the only problem is how to get higher.

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?

My mysticism did it for me. For instance, I’ve written all my life, in school and at work. Really good stuff that people liked. Only problem was that I couldn’t finish anything––like a book.

I told you up above that I write “literature through disaster,” which means it’s taken a heavy-duty personal melt-down to kick books out of me.

I was really surprised when Numenon came out and began winning awards as science fiction. I thought it was a write up of experiences I’ve had in meditation, considering it nonfiction, really.

Numenon has won six national awards in visionary fiction, sci-fi, fantasy.

I had no idea what genre I was writing. Tales from Earth’s End was the same way. We’ve discussed how it evolved above. Visionary fiction. Fantasy. Science Fiction. What?

I write what my inner voice tells me to write. That’s how Tecolote came into being. It’s juvenile nonfiction. When Tecolote was born on our ranch and his life unfolded, it screamed “make me a kids’ book.” I did.

Stepping Off the Edge was the same thing. It demanded to be written, knocking aside Numenon and everything else.

My writing is spiritually based, the fruit of my life and meditation. It just looks like sci-fi.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?

It’s lovely. I love fan mail. I love hearing from people. I love it that people have been so patient waiting for Mogollon. Sometimes they’re a little crabby though.

One guy wrote, “I’ve been waiting a whole year for this book.”

I felt badly that I didn’t have it, but I wrote the entire Tales from Earth’s End Saga.

I’ve had one character get fan mail. Which one? You’ll never guess, even if you’ve read my stuff. I’ll tell you:

Sandy Sydney of Numenon. Some guys really like her.

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Do you think you’ll become enlightened in this lifetime?

No, I don’t. There was a time back in the 80s and 90s where I wanted to be enlightened more than breathe almost. Didn’t happen.

Still hasn’t happened. I’ve read some accounts of the enlightenment experiences of great beings. They sound scary. The pyrotechnics I’ve experienced are nothing compared to what the big boys and girls go through.

So, I’ll take what I get. I’ll be very happy if I can complete my two series before I keel over.

What was your road to publications like?

Long and hard, like everyone’s. I’ve had two literary agents so far and a third that really wanted to be my agent. The feeling was not mutual.

We formed Vilasa Press, which is a story in itself. I’m very pleased with the quality of books we bring out. They’ve won 22 awards in national contests, some of them very prestigious. The Angel & the Brown-eyed Boy won the Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction in the IPPY (Independent Press) Awards, a major contest. The Angel also won the Visionary Fiction category in the Indie Excellence contest. That’s gratifying.

Author Bio

Sandy Nathan writes to amaze and delight, uplift and inspire, as well as thrill and occasionally terrify. She is known for creating unforgettable characters and putting them in do or die situations. She writes in genres ranging from science fiction, fantasy, and visionary fiction to juvenile nonfiction to spirituality and memoir.

“I write for people who like challenging, original work. My reader isn’t satisfied by a worn-out story or predictable plot. I do my best to give my readers what they want.”

Mrs. Nathan’s books have won twenty-two national awards, including multiple awards from oldest, largest, and most prestigious contests for independent publishers. Her books have earned rave critical reviews and customer reviews of close to five-star averages on Amazon. Most are Amazon bestsellers.

Sandy was born in San Francisco, California. She grew up in the hard-driving, achievement orientated corporate culture of Silicon Valley. Sandy holds Master’s Degrees in Economics and Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling. She was a doctoral student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and has been an economic analyst, businesswoman, and negotiation coach, as well as author.

Mrs. Nathan lives with her husband on their California ranch. They bred Peruvian Paso horses for almost twenty years. She has three grown children and two grandchildren.

Her latest books are The Angel & the Brown-Eyed Boy, Lady Grace: A Thrilling Adventure Wrapped in the Embrace of Epic Love and Sam & Emily: A Love Story from the Underground, which are all part of the Tales from Earth’s End series.

Tomorrow morning, a nuclear holocaust will destroy the planet. Two people carry the keys to survival: A teenage boy and an intergalactic traveler.

By the late 22nd century, the Great Recession of the early 2000s has lead to a worldwide police state. A ruined United States barely functions. Government control masks chaos, dissenters are sent to camps, and technology is outlawed. War rages while the authorities proclaim the Great Peace.

Finally it all breaks down. We’re in New York City on the eve of nuclear Armageddon. In the morning, ultimate destructive forces will wipe out all life on earth. Only Jeremy Edgarton, a 16-year-old, tech genius and revolutionary; and Eliana, the angelic, off-world traveler sent to Earth on a mission to prevent her planet’s death, can save the world. Join Eliana and Jeremy as they begin a quest to save two doomed planets … and find each other.

Since the tender age of eight, music served as Samantha Becker’s source of solace against her father’s tyranny and her mother’s alcoholism. Now at eighteen, her only dream is to study classical guitar at Juilliard. But when her father’s careless actions lead to an “accident,” which threatens her ability to play the guitar, Sam becomes despondent. Losing all confidence in her future, Sam hides behind the emotional barriers that have protected her for years.

Just when Sam has given up, two unexpected people enter her life, giving her the confidence she needs, and forcing her to evaluate all she’s ever known. Battling her father’s plans for her future, band mates using her for personal gain, and a permanent injury, the odds are stacked against her. With auditions approaching and time running out, Sam must relearn to play the guitar, or be destined to give up her dreams forever.

About the Author:

T.M. Souders was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2004, from Youngstown State University, with a degree in Psychology and minor in Women’s Studies. She is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel,Waiting on Hope, as well as the novelette Dashing Through The Snow and the newly released young adult/crossover novel ,Freedom Road. In her spare time when she is nor writing she is an active volunteer for The World Literary Cafe, a site dedicated to authors and readers. She currently lives in rural Ohio with her husband and children.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

I am the husband of Tracy and the father of Zachary and Connor (with a third one on the way). I work in the IT industry and I am a recent transplant to North Carolina. I lovesall things science fiction and fantasy and openly claims the title of geek.

1. Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
I suppose if I had to pick one thing it would be Dungeons and Dragons. I started playing in third grade and I loved the storytelling aspects of the game. I didn't start writing fiction really until after high school. I would get bored with some of my classes and just start writing little short stories. I didn't try my hand at novels until I took a class on it. From there it was sort of a casual flirtation with being a writer until I lost my job and had a bit more time to spend working on it. That is when becoming a writer really turned into something I wanted to become

2. How long did it take you to write Apocalypse Rising?
It took a little more than a year. I actually started writing it as an exercise where I wrote 100 words per day, every day. When I hit the one year mark I decided that I really liked the story and cranked up the pace until it was finished.

3. While writing how many times do you go back and rewrite a plot?
I do it only a few times really. Apocalypse Rising was revised only a couple times, but another work in progress I have is in the process of its fourth major plot revision.

4. You run into a bookstore, where do you go first?
Nowadays I head to the children's section first because I have my kids with me, but when I am looking for my own reading I'll go to the science fiction/fantasy section.

5. How many books in a month do you tend to read?
Normally, three or four. Sometimes more, but a lot of the non-indie books I read tend to be pretty mammoth in size.

6. In all the books you've read. Who is your most favorite character and why?
Yossarian, from Joseph Heller's Catch-22. What could be better than a man trying to make sense out of a world that has lost its mind? I love the way the character's mind works and how he copes with the madness around him. He is one of the most tragic heroes I have ever read.

7. State 5 random facts about yourself.
1. I would gladly give up television. 2. I drive like an old person now, but my wife would disagree. 3. I have never left the country. 4. My favorite comic book character is Spider-Man. 5. My favorite beverage is chocolate milk.

8. Your favorite Genre?
Science Fiction, at least for right now.

9. What are you currently reading?
Todd Maternowski's Exmortus 2: Temples Diabolic. It is a gritty, brutal fantasy novel.

10. What is the best book you've read?
Man, that is one tough question. I would say the best I've ever read was Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. It is huge and I am left physically and emotional exhausted by the time it is done, but I love it.

11. Any new projects coming up?
I am working on the sequel to Apocalypse Rising at the moment. I plan to have it finished so that I can write another book during NaNoWriMo in November.

Apocalypse Rising is the story of a fallen Angel who witnesses a brutal murder. He and his friend, a heroine addicted prostitute, must flee for their lives from the powerful businessman and his otherworldly servants if they are going to survive. Along the way the Angel realizes that he must regain his faith if they are going to have any chance at all.

As for why readers should pick it up, well it is a quick-paced read and at sixty-thousand words it is a great weekend book. There is suspense and betrayal mixed with a heavy dose of action.

Book Excerpt

“What the hell…”
“Shut up! They’re already here,” I whisper as I clamp my hand over her mouth. “Damn it! I thought we’d have more time.” I look around, hoping to find something that might help out, but sometimes an alley is just an alley and it is filled with nothing but other people’s refuse. I pull my hand from Lilly’s mouth. “Get on my back. We need to get out of here.” I turn around and she climbs on board. ‘Thank God she’s small,’ I think to myself as we jog into the darkness away from my escape plan.
I turn the corner into another alley and hear two gunshots behind us. They are muffled, probably from within my apartment. Whoever had gone to find me had not been to my room before or they would not have shot the full-length mirror that hung on the wall opposite of my door. More than one visitor has been startled by seeing themselves upon entering. It does not surprise me that some thug would squeeze off a couple rounds after breaking down my door. It will not take long to figure out I am not there. They will start asking my neighbors and Charlene will tell them we were on the bus.
I would like to say that I have a backup plan, but my escape plan is my back up plan. I need some time to figure out what to do next. It takes time to stop and I know that they are too close and stopping means dying. My mind races for somewhere to go, someplace that Albert will not think of. I have been a local fixture for too long. Albert knows where to find me and probably knows where to find Lilly too. The only place we can go is nowhere we have been.
Downtown is the only place I can think of where we will not be found right away, but downtown is pretty far for us to walk and we have no other means of getting there. I could steal a car, but I do not want the police involved. Albert owns most of the local cops and most of the downtown ones as well. You do not get to be a big time player like him if you do not have the law on your side. It is times like this when I wish I could call for help.
Lilly’s muffled crying against my shoulder makes up my mind for me. If I am going to save us, I have to go back to my old life. It has been a long time since I left, but some lessons learned long ago become more instinct than memory. I know I am not as good as I once was, but the real question is whether I am good enough for right now. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but we have to get downtown to stand a chance.
I say a little prayer as I run through the alley and take it as a good sign that my prayers are answered as we leave the alley. Sitting there on the little side street is a taxi with its “available” light lit. It is against all odds, but that is the beautiful thing about prayer. I walk over to the passenger side and knock on the window.
“Jesus!” The cabbie would have jumped out of his chair if not for the seat belt strapped across his lap.
“No, Justin, but I appreciate the compliment. Now can we get a ride?”
“You got money?” he asks.
“No, but wouldn’t you like to do something nice today and take us to downtown?” I am straining, trying to eke out as much goodwill and good fortune as I can.
It has been a long time since I have tried to bring forth the power and I have to throw all of my concentration behind it to get the trickle I am starting to feel.
“Ha! You’re a funny guy you know that? Ha!” The man in the cab pulls out a cigarette and lights up. He looks at me over his thick fingers as he delicately holds the cigarette to his lips. “What’s wrong with the girl?”
“She had a bit too much to drink and I need to get her home.” I keep my eyes locked on his while I feed the flow. I push at his heart and soul, trying to get him to let me in, but I am too weak, too out of practice.
“You two don’t look old enough to be drinking,” he says after taking a long drag. His smoke stained fingers grip the filter tightly. “In fact, you don’t look like you’ve been drinking at all.” He eyes me suspiciously.
“I wasn’t. I was just along for the ride. Before I knew it she was falling all over the place and I thought I had better get her out of there.” Suddenly I can feel it, the crack I am looking for. I push my will into the crack, feeding as much positive energy into it as I can muster.
There is a change in the cab driver. It is almost imperceptible, not much more than a twinkle in the man's eyes, but it is there. “Look kid, I can’t take you all the way downtown, at least not for free, but I can take you about half way okay?”
“Bless you...”
“Carl.”
“Bless you Carl.” I open the door, put Lilly in and climb in beside her.
“All right, let’s get going,” Carl says as he turns the car on and quietly drives off. I feel something pull at my consciousness so I look over my shoulder in time to see three men walk out of the alley. It may be my imagination or the exhaustion from reaching out to Carl, but I see a glint of red through the darkness. It is the light in Carl’s eyes in reverse, only it comes from the men behind us. What have I gotten myself into?

Apocalypse Rising
Eric Swett

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Haileybug Publishing

ISBN: 1477524533
Smashwords: 9781476457451
ASIN: B0085HB9C8

Number of pages: 178
Word Count: 58,042

Cover Artist: Jan Marie Parupia

Book Description:

Long ago, an Angel surrendered his memories and his power when he left Heaven behind, so that he could make a difference in the real world. A couple thousand years walking amongst the teaming masses of humanity has left him disillusioned, but he refuses to give up. He spends his time with the forgotten souls of an urban slum, making a difference wherever he can.

When Justin witnesses the brutal murder of a woman at the hands of a ruthless business tycoon, he must run before his eternal life is cut short. Justin must swallow his pride in order to save himself, and the one friend he has left. The journey back to the fold is filled with danger and discovery as he finds himself in a race towards the end of the world.

Eric Swett started writing a story at 100 words a day in the spring of 2011 as an exercise while he worked on his novel. One year later and that exercise turned into his first novel, "Apocalypse Rising."

He is the husband of Tracy and the father of Zachary and Connor. He works in the IT industry and is a recent transplant to North Carolina. He loves all things science fiction and fantasy and openly claims the title of geek.

Wow, exciting, scary, proud, there were all kinds of emotions. At one point I wanted to stand on top of the house and shout to the world that my book was published. Even though my book was published and the press release had gone out I didn’t have an actual copy of my book in my hand. Without the actual paperback book in your hand it still doesn’t seem completely real. You can’t touch the cover, thumb through the pages, smell the ink, and that stuff that just helps to solidify that your book has really been published.

I didn’t realize how many decisions there are that go into publishing a book. I expected to have to come up with a cover but I guess I thought that the back cover of a book just magically appeared all written, wrong. Then I had to select font style and size, paper color, where the page numbers would be located. I also had to determine if the book name and/or the chapter title would display at the top of the pages and if so where. I did self publishing so I guess I thought maybe there were templates and stuff for all this already and to a certain extent there is. But, there are choices and this was my book so who else was going to make the decisions. I think the hardest decision was the front cover. I had a cover all picked out and preliminarily completed and the illustrators at Outskirts Press did a mock up of what they thought the front cover should look like. Let’s just say I was so undecided that I had to take a vote of my family and friends. Low and behold my cover lost and Outskirts Press cover won.

Next, it didn’t take me very long to realize that the work doesn’t stop with writing and publishing your book, that’s the easy stuff. Since I self published I wasn’t dealing with a publishing company with a budget to market me I had to market me. Also, I didn’t and don’t have an agent which is one of the reasons I chose to self publish. So there was and is no one out there shouting my praises or encouraging everyone to buy my book. I am learning a whole new world that I didn’t know existed but I’ve been lucky enough to hook up with some individuals that are very good mentors and guides to marketing yourself and your book. I can definitely say that publishing my first book has certainly caused me to step out of my comfort zone but I’m enjoying it and loving it. This is what I want to do from here on out I’ve just got to get the exposure and books sold.

About the Book:

Where were you on 9/11? That question has become part of the fabric of our lives as Americans. On that bright, sunny day, none of us had any idea what was in store and how it would change our lives. Depending on what part of the country you lived in, you may not have known anything was going on until several hours after the first plane struck. You may not have heard the news until you got to work, turned on your car radio, or received a call from a loved one asking if you had seen or heard the news. Ashes Ashes the Twins Fall Down is a look at the events of 9/11 from personal and informational perspectives. Author, Pauline Hawkins, who lived in Texas at the time of the attacks, shares her experience of 9/11, and its repercussions for her family, her job, and how she viewed the world. Pauline’s story of coping with the news, reframing how she thought about America and the world, and making a conscious decision to become better-informed will resonate with anyone who lived through 9/11. In addition to her personal testimony, Pauline provides a thought-provoking context for the events of 9/11, including political background, social commentary, and reflections on the contributions of everyday heroes. You’ll come away from this book both enlightened and comforted by Pauline’s honesty and common sense, as well as her heartfelt appreciation of those who sacrificed for our country, and those who continue to work toward healing and rebuilding.

About the Author:

Pauline L. Hawkins was born in Munson Army Hospital at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on Easter Sunday. Pauline has been in the health insurance industry for almost thirty years, working her way up from the mailroom to corporate management and claims payment. In 2002, Pauline received her Instructional Design certification, which allows her to create instructor-led and learner-paced training curricula, along with computer-based learning activities and website creation. Pauline has enjoyed writing since she was in high school, and has decided to start sharing her stories. Ashes Ashes the Twins Fall Down is her debut book.

Neil Armstrong was truly a unique individual. The fact that he was the first human being to step onto another world would be enough to qualify him as such. His skill as a pilot, and I’m sure he would say providence providing a level place to land when there was only 15 seconds of fuel left, was the difference between a successful landing and a disastrous ending to man’s first attempt to go beyond earth. There is also another reason that this man stands out. He never tried to exploit his accomplishment for personal gain. In an era when even minor achievements are often peddled for monetary rewards and self aggrandizement Neil Armstrong avoided the spotlight, realizing that his feat was made possible by the efforts of a countless number of other individuals.

In my novel Angie of the Garden a young woman from Boston also leaves the safe confines of her world. She travels on the Oregon Trail, going into the wilderness to find her lover. Though Angie’s primary motivation is romance, there is also a pioneer’s spirit inside her. Though facing depravation, Native Americans who were sometimes hostile, and nature’s fury she manages to endure, and makes the trek across the country. Though Angie’s feat was performed by many others, for their time these people were truly brave explorers, not content with living in the safety of the world they knew, but willing to see what else this great land had to offer.

I truly hope that the human race never loses its desire to understand the world, and the cosmos. Though budgetary constraints are now limiting our efforts (which they should), I hope our desire to explore does not become a casualty of economics. The day we stop reaching out to learn how this remarkable universe was formed is the day we begin to lose our collective soul.

Godspeed, Neil Armstrong.

About the Author:

J.E. Hall is the author of the romance mystery novel, Angie of the Garden.

Angie of the Garden is a story about a psychiatrist named Hollis Simms. He is an affable individual who is dedicated to his patients, and his family. Hollis is married to a provocative and wealthy woman named Olivia: their irrepressible teenage daughter is named Annabelle. She used her considerable resources to purchase the estate called Fairhaven for them to live in.

As a boy Hollis found a diary written by a woman named Angie Barton buried in a garden. The journal told of the hardships and deprivations suffered by the woman from Boston as she traveled on the Oregon Trail. She became his first love. One evening as Doctor Simms walked past a garden on the estate he encountered the spirit of Angie Barton. Hollis learns that she worked at Fairhaven as a house servant after returning from the west. He cannot fathom how this adventurous woman could have come to such a station in life. Hollis decides that Angie must have experienced some kind of trauma. During her subsequent appearances he entices her into recounting the long trek westward in order to discover the cause of her malaise.

Hollis’ obsession with the woman from the past also begins to strain his relationships with those closest to him. Hollis is determined to find the reason for Angie’s moribund spirit. In the end he does, and Angie finds peace. Then a chance encounter reveals something else about the woman in the garden.